Remnants
by Servant of Anubis
Summary: Sephiroth lost and Kadaj dissolved into the Lifestream. But what happened then? People have returned from the Lifestream before, and Sephiroth swore he wouldn't remain a memory--and he always makes good on his promises.
1. Chapter 1

My first FFVII AC fanfic~ I like how this one came out. I hope you will too!

---

"Kaa-san," Kadaj breathed softly, feeling the life ebb out of him as he reached for the offered hand. The pain lessened, then vanished as he grasped Mother's hand, a feeling of warmth and weightlessness spreading through him at the contact, and he drifted up and away into the gentle white light…

--

He blinked, confused.

He was standing in a place of absolute white, no walls, no ceiling, no anything, just white as far as he could see. It was the inverse of complete darkness, just as disorientating as having his eyes open and being unable to see anything in a place where all light was absent. The only thing with color was himself, and thus was the only thing that convinced Kadaj that he could still see.

But it was a strange place. With nothing better to do, with no idea where he was, Kadaj began to wander, marveling at how his feet came to rest against something apparently solid. The elevation never changed (that he could tell) and so he just walked along, noticing how his footsteps barely made a sound in this empty land.

He didn't know how long he had been walking before he noticed the black speck in the distance, barely a pinpoint of color. He rubbed his eyes but the spot persisted, growing larger as he walked towards it (which helped to prove that he was indeed moving; it was hard to judge travel without landmarks.) He squinted, trying to make out what it was as he approached; once he was about a quarter mile away he noticed the silver and gasped, the sudden ache in his chest so strong and sharp he thought his heart would burst.

He ran, barely believing his eyes, and the ache coupled with the sudden exertion drove him to his knees by the time he reached the thing, gasping for air as tears choked him, gaping up at-

"Sephiroth," he murmured, his voice hardly audiable.

He was suspended in the white abyss, only his upper torso and head visible, the rest fading away to nothing. Head bowed, the silver hair fell forward past his shoulders, partially hiding his face, his eyes shut as if only sleeping. Even like this, he was strong and beautiful and terrible.

This was Sephiroth… Peering up at his face, Kadaj could see the resemblance between them, the silver hair, the porcelain skin. A small smile twitched into existence. This was his older brother; he finally met him. This was Sephiroth—the one Kaa-san loved above all others, Kadaj included. And at that thought his smile disappeared as quickly as it came.

The one Kaa-san loved above all others… Why? Why was he special? Why did Kaa-san loved him more? Agitated, Kadaj reached out and brushed Sephiroth's bangs away to better see his face.

And Sephiroth opened his eyes.

Kadaj froze as the cat-slit eyes—just like his—focused on his face. "Who are you?" Sephiroth whispered, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Kadaj," he answered, staring. Looking into Sephiroth's face, was like looking into a mirror.

"Kadaj…" It came out like a sigh, and Kadaj's chest tightened painfully. The _ache_. Sephiroth shifted forward, emerging from and stepping out of the whiteness with a deliberate slowness. Fully revealed, he straightened up, a good head taller than Kadaj, and looked him over, as if seeing him properly this time. "You were the one who called to me… For the Reunion," he said, head tilted to the side.

Kadaj nodded. He remembered Kaa-san, the bright pain building and then evaporating to nothing as his consciousness faded away. And then he remember new pain and saw Cloud standing there, pity in his eyes, and he hated him, but he didn't have the strength to move and-

"You couldn't beat him," Kadaj accused suddenly, angry. Once they got Kaa-san back and had the Reunion, everything was supposed to be okay! But Sephiroth lost! That wasn't how it was supposed to happen!

A dark look passed over Sephiroth's face; he knew exactly to what the other referred. "You destroyed my chance to fulfill Mother's will," he said, with the tone of someone expressing fact, not opinion.

"What? But, you're the one who was defeated—again!" he exclaimed, outraged. "That's not my fault!"

"You were not supposed to take Kaa-san completely unto yourself. She was not yours alone," Sephiroth said. "The Reunion needed all of you. All three."

"What are you talking about?" Kadaj demanded.

"You are fractured fragment of a greater whole," the former SOLDIER said condescendingly. "The sum of which cannot be derived simply from the summation of the parts. All three of you were meant to gestalt with Kaa-san. But you didn't. You took her yourself. You're lucky, you know; horribly lucky."

"Why's that?" Kadaj asked. Considering where he was (where ever that was) and that ultimately he had failed, he didn't feel all that lucky.

"Of all the Remnants, you are most like me, closest in thought and action. Because of this, you were strong enough to withstand Kaa-san when you attempted an incomplete Reunion," Sephiroth explained. "Had it been one of the other two, they would not have been able to withstand Kaa-san's power, and they would have failed."

"Failed how?" Kadaj asked warily.

"When an organism is too weak to resist Kaa-san, she destroys them. They become twisted monsters, a mere shadow of their former selves…" Sephiroth got a strange look in his eyes, as if he was remembering such an occurrence, but the glimmer of sadness quickly passed. "You, at least, were able to withstand that and allow me a short rebirth, no matter how incomplete."

"And how do I know you're not just making this up to cover for you failure?" Kadaj might be tempted to do the same, so why wouldn't Sephiroth?

"Because it hurt, didn't it?" Sephiroth replied, his blue-green eyes boring into Kadaj's own. "When you took Kaa-san into yourself, it hurt like nothing you've ever experienced before, like every cell and fiber in your body was on fire. It was all you could do not to scream in agony, wasn't it?"

Kadaj shuddered at the memory, willing Sephiroth to stop, but he continued.

"And then it was as if all that heat and pain transformed into ice, and you couldn't have taken a breath even if you wanted to. That chill filled your entire body, freezing your limbs and stilling your heart, and you panicked slightly, because losing control of your body is one of the most terrifying experiences in the world and you didn't expect it, didn't know what Kaa-san was doing and you feared."

"Stop it!" Kadaj yelled, blushing. "Yes, that's what happened; now stop!"

Sephiroth smiled, cold and almost cruel. "Had all of you held the Reunion properly, Kaa-san wouldn't have been so angry; it wouldn't have hurt."

"No one told me what to do… I only felt…" Kadaj muttered.

"That is probably your biggest flaw; the Reunion instinct is very weak in you, and nonexistent in the others," Sephiroth remarked, mostly to himself.

Kadaj frowned at the comment, but stopped when Sephiroth looked back at him, contemplative.

"What?" Kadaj asked finally, unable to bare that analytical stare any longer.

"What to do next…" Sephiroth murmured thoughtfully.

"Do you know way out of here?" Kadaj asked. If he could get back, _with_ Sephiroth, there's no way they couldn't kill Cloud and fulfill Kaa-san's will!

"I think I just might…" Sephiroth said slowly, and suddenly he was directly in front of Kadaj, gripping him painfully on the arms.

"Ow, let go!" Kadaj tried pulling back, but Sephiroth dug his fingers in and Kadaj stilled, hoping to lessen the pain.

A strange feeling began to spread through his arms, starting from where Sephiroth held him; Kadaj looked down and his arms melding into Sephiroth's hands.

"Wha- what are you doing?" Kadaj stuttered, fearful eyes darting up to meet Sephiroth's.

"I'm completing the Reunion," Sephiroth said, a faint grin on his lips. "Without you to lead them, the other two will fall to Cloud swiftly, if they haven't already. Then they will appear here as well."

"But, Kaa-san-"

"Exists within me, just as you will. Her will is my own, her power and her strength are mine to wield in her name," Sephiroth said zealously, his eyes glowing triumph.

"What will happen to me?" Kadaj asked, frantic. His arms were almost completely gone, Sephiroth's hands merging seamlessly into his shoulders.

"Your purpose is fulfilled. Your consciousness will fade away, and only the memories of others will be proof that you once existed. But eventually even those will fade," Sephiroth said.

"No! I don't want to not exist!" Kadaj said, trying desperately to pull away from the former SOLDIER, but he couldn't separate himself from Sephiroth.

"Hush, hush; don't struggle…"

Kadaj felt Sephiroth warp his arms around him, squirming slightly as the taller man pulled him close. The ache in his chest, which had subsided to a dull throb, vanished completely; Kadaj breathed a sigh of relief in spite of himself.

"Shh, there, doesn't that feel better now?" Sepiroth murmured into his ear. Kadaj nodded mutely, tears streaming down his cheeks. The embrace tightened and Kadaj shut his eyes. It was the weirdest feeling, like a tiny speck on the edge of a much greater universe, and the speck crumbled bit by bit into the vastness of that universe.

The last thought Kadaj had was the realization that Sephiroth would not be nearly as kind to his brothers, and for that he was sorry.

And then Kadaj thought nothing at all.

--

Sephiroth sighed, eyes fluttering open again. Kadaj had materia in him; gods, what a rush. Like a straight shot of caffeine. He could feel the power surging through his body, and he grinned, snapping out his black wing and stretching experimentally. Already, he felt much better than before. His strength was returning, his power. Now all he needed to do was wait for the other two remnants to arrive, which shouldn't take too long.

Sephiroth grinned, predatory. Soon, he would make good on his promise to Cloud.

_I will never be just a memory_.

---

Read and review please!


	2. Chapter 2

You know, I hadn't planned on continuing this story. It was originally meant to be a oneshot, but most reviewers asked for more. After some thought, I realized I could continue this story in a way I've never tried before. So here it is. Hope you enjoy.

--

He felt something shift, a change in the air, and Sephiroth turned towards the direction of the feel. The other two remnants—Loz and Yazoo, Kadaj's incorporated memories informed him—were here. He grinned. Excellent. For a moment he almost waited from them to come to him, but no, he had waited in this nothingness for long enough; he began walking towards the direction of their presence, where he sensed them to be, confused and weakened.

He could see them, black specks marring the pristine white of the emptiness; evidentially they noticed him as well, because they angled their movement to meet him, abruptly stopping before breaking into a run.

"Sephiroth! Where's Kaa-san?" Loz asked as he ran up, desperate. The former general noted the instant recognition and wondered if they didn't have a faint glimmer of Reunion instinct after all.

"Where's Kadaj?" Yazoo added, coming up behind his brother (and Sephiroth supposed they could be brothers, given the circumstance of their 'birth').

He smirked slightly at the question. "You'll know soon enough," he replied calmly before disappearing, moving at a speed they could only hope to match when completely materia-filled.

Sephiroth appeared behind Yazoo, wrapping his arms around the shorter boy's torso, one hand resting on the throat, before the remnant had time to realize what was happening. His startled exclamation was cut short as Sephiroth tightened his embrace—his arms closed around air, black wisps of smoke dissolving away to nothing.

"Yazoo! What did you do to him?!" Loz yelled, panic in his words.

Sephiroth took a shaking breath, feeling the power course through him like fire. "I, absorbed him. To complete the Reunion." He scowled as his voice broke, and tried to quell the tremors in his quivering hands. The amount of materia alone he'd absorbed so far—forget caffeine, it was like those energy drinks that red-headed Turk used to chug all the time. Five of them.

"Give him back!"

Sephiroth sensed the blow before he saw it, and stepped nimbly out of the way, eyes widening in mild surprised when Loz continued his attack. He was unarmed, but as Sephiroth studied his style, ducking and dodging punches, he presumed that Loz fought mainly hand-to-hand anyways. He was strong certainly; directly blocking any of his attacks stung some, which was more than the former general could say for most of the opponents he had ever faced, but the remnant was still only a third of Sephiroth's full ability, and it showed.

Tiring of the game, Sephiroth switched to offensive, side-stepping Loz's next attack and grabbing his wrist; using the still straightened arm as a guide, he chopped the edge of his hand into the remnant's neck, before slamming his palm into the elbow—which broke with a satisfying snap—and, shifting his stance and his grip as Loz howled in pain, threw the boy over his hip and smashed him into the ground. Loz tried to recover, rolling onto his stomach to get up—a big mistake, Sephiroth's SOLDIER-trained mind noted, and he pounced, slamming a knee into the small of his back, wrenching Loz's good arm out of its socket in his haste to pin him. Was it really this easy to take down a third of himself? He pressed a hand between Loz's shoulder blades as the boy struggled uselessly, and the body collapsed beneath him, black smoke drifting lazily away.

Sephiroth shuddered violently as his full physical strength returned to him along with the remaining materia, but his fierce grin quickly faded with a gasp as the full force of his love for Kaa-san swept through him.

_Kaa-san_. Oh, what they did to her, to him. They would pay dearly for their past actions, he would be revenged on the lot of them; he and Kaa-san would take the Planet and sail the universe together, always together. And he cried, for the pain she suffered, for the pain he suffered, and tears fell, with nothing to witness it in the emptiness of the strange place that was between all.

Then Sephiroth stood and wiped away the tears. He reached out with Kaa-san's power, with Mako strength enhanced by directly absorbed materia, and felt the weave and weft of what he was certain now was the Lifestream; pushing at a weak point and feeling it give slightly, he passed through it and towards the feel of life from Edge, towards hatred and vengeance and Cloud.

--

Eight-year-old Zackary Strife stared out the school bus window at the grey-green city, only half listening to the teacher drone on about the work Shinra was doing to repair the damage they directly and indirectly caused almost a decade ago. He sighed; the field trip was almost over, and he was sort of glad. Seeing the new Shinra buildings and getting a tour was kinda cool—he even glimpsed a pair of Turks walking down a side hallway!—and getting out of classes for a day was always good, but having to listen to all the talks about the new ways Shinra was creating power, mostly solar panels and wind mills, was so boring he couldn't help but yawn. There was just one last thing they were going to briefly visit before heading back to the school.

The bus came to a stop at the edge of a large square and the class obediently piled out on the street, staring at a massive wreck of twisting metal located in the square's center. Zackary's stomach flipped suddenly and he blinked, pushing the odd sensation away as the teacher led them closer. As she went, she explained what they were looking at.

"Alright, class, this is the Meteor Memorial, originally erected twelve years ago to commemorate Midgar's survival of the Ultimate Destructive Magic, Meteor, cast by the former 1st class SOLDIER General Sephiroth. The monument was destroyed a year later by a small gang known as the Remnants, who used materia to Summon Bahamut SIN to attack and destroy a large section of Edge. Rufus Shinra donated both the original and the one that stands today…"

The teacher's words faded away as Zackary stared up at the huge statue, the sunlight glinting off the reflective surface of the scale meteor like white starlight, only that wasn't right, because Meteor was red fire and charred black and—

Zackary gasped, his eyes widening as visions and images flooded his mind: a laboratory filled with strange instruments, where a scientist drew blood for a test; training for SOLDIER; Angeal; fighting with Genesis; the mutants at the reactor; the Shinra library; Nibelhiem in flames; a metal placard bearing the name 'Jenova'; Cloud, run through with a long katana; Aeris, dead from a stab wound through her chest; Cloud, bringing the black materia; fighting Cloud at the Northern Crater; fighting Cloud at the ruins of Midgar; Cloud, Cloud, Cloud, Cloud!

And his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he crumpled in a dead faint.

--

There was an incessant noise from far away, a slurry sound that slowly bore its way into his consciousness. Sephiroth groaned pitifully, trying to clear his thoughts, frowning as the noise grew increasingly louder, resolving itself into words, a woman's voice.

"Zackary? Zackary Strife? Can you hear me? Are you okay, dear?"

He frowned—_Zackary?_—and opened his eyes, screwing them shut again immediately from the bright light, a whimper escaping him. Come on, pull yourself together! he chided mentally, but it felt like a Chocobo had kicked him in the head, and he wasn't convinced he wanted to think clearly yet, nevermind move.

He eased his eyes to a squint, tearing from the light; he could make out the form of a woman leaned over him, concerned.

"Zackary? Can you hear me?"

Zackary again? Who- Sephiroth gasped, eyes flying open as he sat bolt upright, staring at his small hands, the strands of blonde hair falling around the edges of his vision. _Zackary!_ And he could remember the last five years, growing up, going to school, as the child Zackary Strife—_Strife!_ _Cloud's son_! His stomach heaved, granted him warning enough that he was able to turn away from the teacher and throw up over the side of the hospital bed.

"Zackary!" the teacher exclaimed.

_No!_ his mind screamed as he leaned half way off the bed, stunned. _Not Zackary! Never! Sephiroth!_

"What- What happened to me?" he croaked weakly, flopping back onto the bed in a daze. How…?

"You fainted from the heat while we were visiting the Meteor monument," the teacher said helpfully, presuming the boy was talking about why he was in the hospital. "You're currently at Edge General Hospital, but don't worry, your mother will be here soon."

Sephiroth blinked at her, momentarily confused. "My mother?" he repeated blankly.

The teacher nodded with a gentle smile before being shooed away by a nurse and doctor. Sephiroth sat up and numbly obeyed the commands to look into the small penlight, count fingers and answer basic questions, some of which he stumbled on, his memories jumbled.

"Do you know who you are?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

He choked back 'Sephiroth' and swallowed. "Zackary Strife," he responded, cringing inwardly.

"How old are you?"

"… Eight."

"When were you born?"

The birth date was the same, but he almost gave the incorrect year, catching himself just in time.

"Good… Do you know where you are?"

"Edge General Hospital."

"What is your father's name?"

"… Cloud," he whispered, horrified and more than a little nauseous. The doctor didn't seem to notice.

"And your mother's name?"

"J—Tifa." Again, a slight wave of nausea.

"Good job, Zackary; thank you," the lab-coated doctor said with a smile before turning to the teacher. The nurse, having cleaned up the vomit, approached with two glasses of liquid. He downed the Cure potion first, which still tasted bitter as all hell—somethings never changed—and resisted the urge to scratch as he felt a small cut on his forehead (probably from when he fainted) knit itself back together; he accepted the water and downed that quickly, erasing the potion's flavor. As he did, he overheard the doctor remark that he didn't have a concussion (Sephiroth could have told him that) and could be released as soon as his mother arrived.

They didn't have to wait long. Not a minute later Tifa appeared in the doorway, worry on her face. She spotted her son instantly.

"Zackary!" she called, running to the bedside and enveloping her son in a hug. Sephiroth sat stiffly, eyes wide, as she buried her face into his hair and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I got the call from your teacher saying you had fainted and were in the hospital; I was so worried!" she said, giving him a final squeeze before she let go, resting her hands lightly on his shoulders. "I'm glad you're okay," she said, smiling at him.

Sephiroth just blinked at her. This was… too surreal. "Uh, yeah," he mumbled, looking away. "Sorry for making you worry." An appropriate child's response, right?

"Daijobou," Tifa replied, ruffling his hair (Sephiroth resisted the urge to knock her hand away, recalling that Zackary usually tolerated this sort of treatment) before turning to the doctor and thanking him. She signed a release form, exchanging a few words with the teacher, who apologized profusely and promised to keep a closer eye on her students next time, and then returned her attention to 'her son'.

"Come on, Zackary. Let's go home," she said, holding out her hand. Sephiroth regarded her for a moment, before taking her hand and allowing the fighter to lead him out of the hospital like a child. Once outside, she walked over to a black moped and handed him a small helmet, which he dutifully donned and climbed on behind her. After a moment's pause, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her stomach and held on as they sped back 'home'.

He watched the city rush by and shut his eyes, unwilling to believe it. He was back, in Edge, but why didn't he return properly?! Shouldn't he have come back as himself? Why was he this, this child? Cloud's son! Why…? Why in Kaa-san's name was he reborn as Cloud's son? Reincarnation, fine, he could tolerate that, but why did it have to be Cloud's son?! Obviously the Lifestream had a sense of humor, but Sephiroth didn't find this even remotely funny.

They came to a halt in front of the bar 7th Heaven, where the family lived upstairs. Following Tifa inside, Sephiroth had a strange sense of déjà vu, as his Zackary memories overlaid his old memories, telling him that he had both never been here before and yet had lived here. He shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts.

Tifa noticed. "Are you alright? Still dizzy?"

"I'm fine," Sephiroth snapped, a little sharper than he expected. He saw the surprise on her face and immediately softened his tone. Think—typical eight year old boy. "I guess I'm just a little embarrassed, that's all. I passed out in front of all my friends!"

Tifa smiled, the slip forgotten. "Don't worry about it. They'll probably just want to hear about your visit to the hospital."

The phone rang, granting Sephiroth the excuse he needed. "I'll be up in my room then," he said as Tifa hurried behind the bar to answer. As he escaped up the stairs, he heard Tifa—"So you finally saw my message? What did I tell you about ignoring your phone; this was important!"

Sephiroth shut the door to Zackary's, no, his room, cutting off the sound of Tifa's voice. He stood at the threshold for a moment, taking in the newly familiar sight, the blue-sheeted bed by the window, the oak furniture, toys and games scattered over the floor and soft rug. There was a door to the left which lead to a small closet of clothes, and a door on the right wall which opened to the bathroom he shared with Denzel. He spotted the full-length mirror by the window and quickly picked his way over the cluttered floor; Sephiroth looked at his reflection and froze. An eight year old boy stared back, the still rounded face of a child, framed by messy blonde hair (similar to Cloud's, he noted with disgust), a short lean body that promised to grow into a tall lean body, and bright blue eyes widened with shock. His eyes looked strange though… He leaned forward, inspecting them; they looked dull, and then he realized that they were no longer 'Mako eyes', the nickname given to the glowing eyes of those who had been Mako enhanced or exposed to high levels of it. His pupils were also rounded now as well—the analytical part of his mind wondered how that would affect his perception and sight, but the greater part of Sephiroth was oddly fascinated. What was normal to others had forever been strange to him; his eyes had never been anything but glowing and he'd always had cat slit pupils.

He stepped back, observing his new form once more. A horrible thought struck him and he dropped to the ground. Jenova! He couldn't even do fifteen push-ups! Rolling over, he tried sit-ups; he managed a shaky thirty-two before he was forced to stop, his abdomen burning. Breathing heavily, he glared at the ceiling. Pathetic. He probably couldn't do a pull-up either. Ridiculous. Granted, fifteen push-ups and thirty-two sit-ups were just under the challenge rate of the old Midgar fitness standard, perfectly within the acceptable range, but even when he was growing up Sephiroth had been able to easily surpass the challenge ratings. This new body was _weak._ There was no way he could hope to have his revenge on Cloud in this state. Especially not when Cloud was Mako-enhanced and he wasn't.

He sat up, scowling at his reflection. There wasn't much he could do; he'd have to live at 7th Heaven until he was both old enough and strong enough to face Cloud. The idea was terrible; live under the same roof as Cloud, masquerading as his son? But he could do it; he have to. He'd rejoin SOLDIER, and thus Shinra, so he could get the Mako-enhancements and more of Kaa-san's cells. He could feel Her still, but faintly; he doubted he could manipulate the Lifestream and after a quick test he knew he could no longer shapeshift either. The treatments he would undergo to become a SOLDIER again should retrigger his abilities (that's what he told himself; if they didn't… he couldn't even bring himself to consider it).

The minimum age requirement for a SOLDIER recruit was sixteen; eight more years until he could join, another year at least of training and classes until he could undergo the necessary Mako-enhancements…

Nine years living under Cloud's roof as his son… But the look on Cloud's face when he realized his son was Sephiroth incarnate…

Sephiroth grinned at the thought, the tragic expression he could so clearly picture on the blonde.

So worth it.

--

Sound interesting yet?


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